PUBLISHED April 16th, 2014 04:00 am | UPDATED January 20th, 2016 05:21 am
I love Latin American food – fresh herbs, fish, meats, tons of avocado, beans, plantains and a bit of chilli pepper. Latin American is one of the most unrepresented cuisines here in Singapore, which is ridiculous considering how great it is. So as soon us Nomads got a heads-up that a place called PISCO was opening up, we got just a little bit excited….Ok, very excited.
Arriving at Pisco, it immediately struck me how playful the whole interior is. It’s full of bold, bright colours and dyed fibres – a colour scheme that I would imagine would adorn the house of an Alpaca farmer, making it very much a family-friendly place.
I wouldn’t say that the food here is strictly Latin American, however it doesn’t fall too short of the mark, and when absolutely deliciously tender prawn and scallop ceviche lands in front of me, covered in a sour marinade, I’m certainly not going to complain! The Gambas (prawn ceviche – $13( itself was topped with sweet jalapeño giving it a spicy lift. Accompanied by the almost-caramelised banana pieces, it made for interesting textural balance.
The Conchas Borrachas (scallop ceviche – $15) was a clear winner – the fresh, slippery morsels just glide down your tongue, assisted by a sweet fruit marinade. Just delightful.
Of course Peruvian food isn’t all about ceviche, and there’s certainly a number of other dishes which are worthy of mention such as the Empanadas ($14) or the Pinchos meat-skewers (from $13). For the not-so-adventurous, these are a very safe option being well cooked and seasoned accordingly.
For the kids (and the hungover big kids), the Bolas de Yuca ($14)
are what you need to for that indulgent unhealthy pleasure. Giant balls filled with tapioca and cheese. Not the most flavoursome on its own, but excels upon a dash or hot sauce or aioli.
Being located at Resorts World Sentosa, I would imagine the majority of the clientele will unfortunately be tourists, which is really a shame as there’s definitely something to offer for residents of our sunny isle. It’s reasonably priced, casual, and there’s something on the menu that everyone could sink their teeth into.
Updated January 2015
After a re-visit (not hosted by venue) we were very disappointed with PISCO. The portions seemed to decrease in size since our last visit and the dishes themselves lacked much of the flavour we previously liked on first visit. The service was also very spotty.
It’s with great regret that we ‘un-recommend’ PISCO until further notice. We sincerely hope they’ll be able to improve on their menu in the near future .